This pi shawl is designed in honor of the 49 victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida on June 13, 2016, and to all of their loved ones whose lives will never be the same after this violent tragedy. All proceeds for pre-sales of this pattern will go to Equality Florida’s Pulse Victim Fund on Go Fund Me to benefit the survivors. We raised almost $1500.

The death of a young person tears a hole in the universe that can never be repaired. The saddest part is not the life cut short or the loss of potential. It is not the 49 dead bodies on the floor of a club in Orlando. It is the hundreds or thousands of ruined lives of those who still live: parents, children, siblings, partners, friends. Marriages torn apart. Alcoholism meant to silence the screams. Orphaned children who cannot be consoled. There is no recovery from the early, violent death of a loved one. The dead do not suffer in hell. The living left behind do.